Evaluating employee wellness programs

An important part of having an employee wellness program is the evaluation that must occur in order to determine the success of the program. There are several different facets that should be considered when it comes to evaluating any employee wellness program. Not only should an evaluation look at the effectiveness of the program, but how the program has been marketed and put into place. In addition, it is important to get the feelings and reactions of the employees, who are participating, in the program. There are several different areas that should be reviewed to help determine if the program is on the right track and if changes should be made. These factors are-

• Was the employee wellness program structured so that it reached the employees were at the highest risk for medical issues? Did the program help educate and inspire employees to improve their health habits?
• What was the level of awareness of the employee wellness program? Did all employees know how to access the services of the program?
• How many employees participated in the program? Was the number of participants higher or lower, then expected?
• Was the employee satisfaction rating in regards to the employee wellness program? What percentages of employees were happy with the type and number of services that were offered in conjunction with the program?

It cannot be overstressed that the evaluation of the employee wellness program is a crucial component in determining the extent of the program's success. One of the best ways to evaluate the employee wellness program is to administer an interest survey to the employees. This survey should address how much the employees knew about the employee wellness program, what kinds of activities were offered by the program, and if they knew the process for enrolling or participating in the employee wellness program.

When the Health Promotions Team receives the responses form the survey, they will be able to more clearly tell whether the program was adequately communicated to the employees and what they understanding of the program were, as well. This can also be a valuable tool in determining why some employees did not participate in the employee wellness program. It is important to include some questions that ask the employee why they chose not to participate. This question could be done in the form of check the best possible answer and could include the following-

• The employee was not aware of the employee wellness program


• The employee was not interested in participating or did not feel motivated to.


• The employee felt the class locations were to far away and inconvenient to get to.


• The employee felt that classes or seminars were not held at times that were convenient for attending.


• The employee has a restrictive commuting schedule (or carpools, uses public transportation etc.)


• The employee felt that the classes or seminars did not deal with topics that interest them.


• The employee felt that the exercise classes or equipment were inadequate for their needs.

It is especially important for an evaluation to be done that shows the number of employees who participated in the program. It should also measure if the program has been successful in both attracting and keeping employees interested. This can easily be measured by tracking the number of employees who attend the classes and seminars that are offered. This can be done by using sign-in sheet to track attendance. In addition, the employees overall satisfaction with the program should be measured as well. This will be a key factor as to whether the program should be continued.

While evaluating the employee wellness program can seem overwhelming and time consuming it is a crucial step in developing the right employee wellness program. Once the data has been gathered the company can determine if and where the program should be changed to maximize the best results possible.